The Big MT: Not So Empty
by MykalWuzHere
Summary: The courier has won the battle of Hoover Dam. He now aims to better the world by rebuilding the Big MT in order to restore the world. With the help of Arcade, Boone, and other various faces known through the wastes, the courier will attempt to rebuild what was lost. (First fan fiction, would appreciate criticism good and bad! Thanks in advance!)
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter 1:The Beginning

The sun was setting on the most glorious battle the Mojave waste has ever seen. The courier has aided the NCR in the battle of Hoover Dam. The courier made his way past the mutilated Legion soldiers that lined the pre-war attraction. As the courier made his way to the guest center of the dam his feet disturbed hundreds of casings that decorated the floor, like confetti from a horrid parade. His eyes followed the ash that danced through the sky, dancing to the quite breeze of death. The courier opened the door to the guest center only to find two NCR rangers tending to their wounds, "Give this to who ever it may concern" he said as he placed a note on he counter. He made his way out of the guest center into the aftermath of the battle. The smell of burnt gunpowder and disemboweled bodies burnt his nose. The courier placed a rag over his face to try and block out the stench. The courier walked the lonely road west until he reached the remnants of boulder city. He sat upon the rubble and thought to himself, "where am I to go now? The battle is won. I have made my mark, but I leave the great city of Nee Vegas to the NCR. I still have aid to give, people will still need me. I know what I must do." With that he took out an off looking device, which resembled a detonator and pulled the trigger. In an instant he was teleported to the balcony of the SINK. The door shuttered open and the courier was greeted with a bombardment of voices from the various mechanical personalities.

"Will sir being staying long?"

"Yes, I will be rebuilding to better not only myself, but the world as we know it"

"Very good sir"

The courier unlatched his chest plate and removed the various plates of his Elite Riot Gear. He placed them in the locker in his room and slid on his lab coat. "I will rebuild, I will help" He said to himself. The courier felt a wave of emotion envelop him. He dropped his hands from his face as he looked in the mirror. His hands were still shaking from the battle that ensued at Hoover Dam. He popped some mentats into his mouth and splashed water onto his face. "Eww, the blood! The horror! Why must you be so disgusting!" The sink exclaimed. The courier was at a loss to figure out why he was here, what he was truly planning to accomplish. He looked around the room at the various plants that grew in the self-sustained garden. He paced around them caressing the leaves of the various plants. "Wanna make some sweet sweet green, baby?" The courier shook his head and removed a bottle of purified water from the fridge. He placed the cold bottle upon his forehead in attempt to relieve the throbbing pain. It was then that he realized what needed to be done. The courier made his way into the central room and directed the auto-doc to give him a thorough exam. Once finished he made a note on a clipboard.  
"-Contact Arcade and Boone.  
I will rebuild the Big MT. I will create new technologies. I will be the next super power of the Mojave Wastes."


	2. Chapter 2: Things Never go to Plan

The courier awoke in a sweat, his mind racing with new ideas. He jolted from his bed in a haste to write down his ideas before they were lost to the abyss his mind takes all of his thoughts. He ran into the central room of the SINK and grabbed a clip board, he quickly scribbled down notes. He chewed on the end of his pencil between ideas. "This is why I was made to recycle books, so you can't have ideas. They are clearly making you lose your mind... Don't be a commie." The book chute said mockingly. The courier took no notice to the words of the mechanical personalities around him. Soon, the courier found himself surrounded by notes upon notes of information that he had no idea what to do with. He beckoned for Muggy to help him gather the papers and organize them into the central AI for storage. Once finished, the courier furiously pressed some keys on his Pip-boy. Within minutes an Eye-bot appeared awaiting the couriers demands. "I need you to deliver these to two people, make sure that they get them!" The courier inserted two notes into the Eye-bot. The Eye-bot sped out of the room in haste. The courier sat down on the sofa and contemplated on his plans. He waited feverishly for the Eye-bots return even though he knew the trip was long and harsh. The courier stood from the sofa and made his way into the central room.

"Does sir need anything?"

"No... Thank you. I must rest until that damned robot returns! I need to begin with my master plan before it's too late!"

"Very good sir."

The courier made his way to his bed and laid down. He tossed and turned for hours trying to force himself to sleep. In a rage he threw a pillow across the room, hitting the light switch.

"Ow! Why do you always throw things at me! You never do that to that other bimbo!"

"Hey! You watch your circuits! Don't make me have the toaster break you down... Bitch"

"Both of you, be quiet before I give you both to the toaster!"

"I will destroy you all! Burn! Burn! BUUUURRRRNNNN!"

During the argument no one noticed the Eye-bots return. The courier looked up to see the Eye-bot hovering before his bed. "Yes, I need you! Come here and deliver the messages to me! You're my slave, not the other way around!" The Eye-bot moved to the courier and popped out two slips of paper. The courier hastily opened them.

"Mordecai,  
I am on my way now. I am bringing the Verti-bird and some scientists from the Enclave with me. I am sure your plan will go off without a hitch, but security is an issue.  
-Arcade"

"I have recruited some NCR troops to help protect Big MT, I'm not sure how to get them all there but I will find a way. I should be there within the week.  
-Boone"

The courier jumped with joy accidentally knocking the Eye-bot into the wall. "I am going to do this!" The courier skipped into the central room and directed the central AI to organize his notes into matter of importance. Starting with "Security" the AI took hours organizing the plethora of notes. The courier hastily made a meal from what was left over in the fridge. The meal consisted of Iguana bits and half a bottle of Nuka Cola. The courier waited impatiently for the arrival of Arcade, as he knew it would take much longer for Boone to direct a squadron of fresh NCR recruits to the Big MT. The courier gathered supplies found around the SINK for the Enclave scientists to work with. He managed to gather clipboards, pencils, and recycled paper. He thought to himself about what he really needed them to do, but realized quickly that he himself didn't know where to start. With that he began to question the Central AI.

"Now, you're smart... Not smarter than I, but you are much better at organization. Where do I start the scientists on?"

"Well, I am flattered that you think of me so highly sir, but I am afraid I was never programed to 'rebuild' the Big MT sir."

"Hmm, well that won't do... You must know the schematics of all the assorted facilities around the Big MT, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, I need to know the that status on all of the facilities, this will allow me to asses the situation and repair and rebuild the most important facilities first. We must show this world that it isn't over, we can still grow."

"Very good sir!"

The courier made his way throughout the SINK rambling to himself about the project he was about to take, head on. He was confused but he was determined. "Once Arcade gets here, I might actually be able to not be so erratic. This isn't me... I am Rylan Mordecai Montague, NCR Ranger, medic, and head scientist. I am smart, funny, kind..." The courier was interrupted by the Central AI.

"Sir, it appears an unidentified aircraft has entered our airspace."

"It's Arcade, don't worry. The only thing that would voluntarily come here would be me... And the poor friends I lure here."

The light hum from the Verti-bird drew near, the courier made his way to the front of the Big MT building. The Verti-bird touched down and Arcade followed by 8 Enclave scientists exited.

"Ah, Mordecai! I am excited to work with you! This is an amazing place, I am surprised I have never seen it!"

"Hello Arcade, as you can see, we have a lot of work ahead of us. But, don't worry, I have Boone bringing a squadron of NCR to assist in securing the facilities around the Big MT. Now, I must ask that you make your way into the building and I will begin briefing you on our plans."

Rylan led the scientists into the building, they were shocked to see the amazing amount of computers and scientific equipment scattered through the building. "This is where you will be conducting all of your research until the facilities are brought back to working order. You will also make your rooms in the 8 rooms available, don't worry, I have taken the liberty to have each room fitted with the most basic amenities." The scientists walked throughout the large room scanning the equipment and looking over previous research left by the previous scientists.

"Mordecai, tell me... Why rebuild the Big MT?"

"Because, with this magnificent research facility, we will be able to rebuild the world Arcade. We will be the major faction of the world. You remember how the Old World, it was ran by presidents... This one will be run by Science."

"Are you sure that is a good idea? Clearly, science got us into this mess. Nukes are science Mordecai."

Rylan made his way through the room, watching the scientists toying with the various equipment. He then motioned for Arcade to follow him into the SINK. They entered through the door and Arcade was stunned by the sheer amount of intelligence in one room. "You will be conducting your research in here... With me of course, and my lovely band of Personalized gadgets." Arcade moved around the room inspecting the equipment in awe. "Now, Dr. Montague tell me why do you have such an amazing lab that you've never told me about?" Rylan moved into the self-sustained garden, he began to caress the leaves of the plants throughout the room as he began to explain. "I never showed you because I wanted to make sure, that when you came here, you would stay. I need you Arcade, I need your scientific experience along with the Enclave scientists you brought with you. This is a war in itself. There are creatures and robots outside these doors that you have never seen in the Wastes. In fact, half of the mutations in the Wastes came from here." Arcade leaned against a wall, a look of confusion on his face. "Dr. Montague, you expect me to believe that this place is inhabited? As I was flying in, I saw nothing but buildings. The radar on the Verti-bird didn't pick up even the slightest movement below us." Rylan directed Arcade onto the balcony of the SINK. Rylan took out a pair of binoculars and scanned the horizon for creatures, he then handed them to Arcade and pointed to a group of Lobotomites fighting a Robo-Scorpion. "Those are Lobotomites, they were the experiments of the previous scientists, they may be brainless but their primal instincts are still intact. Kill, eat, sleep. But, I have never seen them rest." Arcade lowered the binoculars and frowned. "You mean to tell me this place is inhabited by creatures... That I can't pick up on radar?" Rylan laughed, and shook his head. "No, they are detectable by Radar, but not yours... You see, there is a force field around the Big MT, which I programmed to disguise this place. It's a safety precaution. The only reason you found it is because I had it set to low, that way you could enter without being disintegrated." Arcade looked at the glowing dome covering the crater. The dome gave him a sense of security but as he looked down he saw the Lobotomites walking away, injured by the now picked apart Robo-scorpion. "This place is amazing Dr. Montague. Truly." Arcade made his way inside, Rylan followed. The scientists were busy making themselves at home when Rylan walked in. "Hello fellow scientists, I am Dr. Montague, this project you will be taking a part in, is to better this world. We will rule this new world, not with weapons of mass destruction, but with tools of mass aid! We will make this world better, rebuild from our mistakes!" The scientists clapped in unison, Arcade placed his hand on Rylan's shoulder and walked to the scientists. Rylan made his way to the SINK, he called for the Eye-bot and inserted a message along with a radio to be delivered to Boone. Rylan sat on the end of his bed and waited for the radio to relay the familiar voice.


	3. Chapter 3: The Bombs go Boone

Rylan was awoken by the sound of gunfire, except it was inside. Rylan arose from his bed in a panic searching the dim lit room for his Ranger Sequoia. He grabbed his Ranger Sequoia from the locker with his Elite Riot Gear. He slowly made his way into the central room only to find the gunshots were coming from his radio. "Boone! Are you there!?" The gunshots ensued. "Boone! Anse-" Rylan was cut off by the sound of an explosion rocketing through the radio speaker. Rylan stood mortified as he stared at the radio. "Rylan! You there? We are pinned down Near the Northern Tunnel Entrance! There's some robotic scorpion type things!" Rylan was relieved to hear Boone's voice and instantly moved to his locker and dawned his Elite Riot Gear. As he made his way out of the Big MT building he grabbed his Anti-Material Rifle. Rylan moved as fast as he could to the Northern Entrance but this was no easy task in such hostile territory. Rylan had the radio strapped to his belt when he heard another explosion crackle through the speaker. Rylan was truly scared for Boone and knew he couldn't afford to lose Boone or any of the NCR Recruits. After trekking through the hostile landscape, Rylan was close, he could hear the gunfire and Boone calling the shots. Rylan placed himself on a cliff over-seeing the the battle that ensued below. Rylan shouldered his Anti-Material Rifle and looked down the scope. He took aim at the largest Robo-Scorpion, slowing his breathe he pulled the trigger. The high caliber bullet went straight through the Robo-Scorpion with ease. Boone was startled by the loud gunshot knowing non of his recruits had a weapon of that caliber he searched the nearby cliffs for sign of Rylan. Before Boone could identify Rylan another shot rang through the crater and another Robo-Scorpion exploded into scrap metal. There was 3 Robo-Scorpions left, Boone reached into his pack and pulled out a brick of C-4. He looked out from behind his cover to check the placement of the robotic creatures, they were advancing in a triangular formation. Boone lobbed the brick of C-4 into the group of Robo-Scorpions. Boone took cover and pulled the trigger, only the explosion he was expecting didn't go off. Rylan noticed that the C-4 was damaged by the Robo-scorpions metallic pinchers. Rylan took aim at the C-4, steadied his breathe and pulled the trigger. The Robo-Scorpions were engulfed in a fiery explosion. As the smoke cleared, there was nothing but charred scrap metal and electronic wiring around the small crater. Rylan threw his Anti-Material Rifle over his shoulder and made his way down the cliff to greet Boone.

"Man, I am glad to see I taught you well!"

"Boone, you didn't teach me anything! If anything, I taught you!"

Boone lifted himself from behind his cover and motioned for the rest of his men to join him.

"How many were injured?"

"We were ambushed as we came out of the tunnel, two men were disintegrated by those 'things'"

"Robo-Scorpions"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I have 2 dead and 5 injured. Seeing as that I only had 12 men... That leaves me with 5 able-bodied men to help for the time being."

Rylan, having extensive experience in the medical field moved to the injured men, he assessed the wounds and was able to field dress most of them. One of the men had his arm ripped off by one of the Robo-Scorpions. "Dear god! Save me!" Rylan looked at the man with a puzzled look. "God can't hear you, not in the Big MT." The injured soldier looked into Rylan's eyes in horror. "That's right soldier, welcome to my plane of hell." Boone put his hand on Rylan's shoulder with a look of disappointment. "Let's try and keep moral up, we only have these 10 men. The NCR wasn't happy giving me these men in the first place. It took a lot of owed favors on my part." Rylan looked at the stump of the mans arm. Wrapping some cloth around it he helped the man up. "This is going to be a fun journey back the the Big MT building." Rylan took point and led the group through the remnants of the Big MT. With such a large group they were bound to attract more creatures from the surrounding area. "Rylan, we're going to need to stop and re-dress this guys arm sooner or later!" Rylan looked behind him at the soldier, he cringed at the sight of Rylan's eyes. "Stop here, we can re-dress that wound and rest." The group set up in the trailer of a rusted out Military truck. They were able to find some sterile medical equipment in the crates surrounding the truck. Rylan jabbed a stimpack into the wounded soldiers stub. The man screamed in pain and Boone gave Rylan a look he's never seen before. Rylan shrugged and continued to aid the injured man. Boone pulled Rylan aside after he was done.

"What the fuck happened to you? Has that bullet in your brain finally turned it into pudding?"

"What do you mean Boone? You realize these men are green. Green isn't going to rebuild this mess."

"Green or not, I wasn't entirely briefed on the situation. There was no way in hell the NCR was going to lend me veterans. Not after the Battle of Hoover Dam. The Legion may be taken care of, for now, but that doesn't mean there isn't other shit the NCR has to deal with. This little 'experiment' of yours doesn't really have much credibility."

"Boone, the battle of Hoover Dam was only won because I convinced The Boomers, The Enclave, The Khans, and even the god damn Brotherhood of Steel to help the NCR. What the fuck do you mean no credibility!?"

Boone looked down at the ground, his hands balled into fists. "Rylan, then ask someone else to help you." Rylan stared at Boone with a look of disappointment. Rylan rallied up the men and continued back towards the Big MT building. Boone followed a couple steps back behind the group. The men finally arrived at the building, Rylan ushered everyone inside and made his way to Arcade who was working with some of the scientists to get a scrapped radio to work.

"Arcade, I need you to help me tend to the wounded men."

Arcade turned around startled by his voice. "Where the hell did you go? Off to save the world without telling me? I didn't even" Arcade was cut off by the sight of the man missing his arm. "I will get the medical supplies from the SINK." Arcade and Rylan worked for hours treating the 5 men. Boone sat in the corner of the huge room cleaning his rifle. Rylan approached covered in blood and smelling of sterile medical equipment. "Look, Boone... I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have freaked out on you or the soldier... I was expecting the NCR to help out a little more. I know you said recruits... I didn't think greens." Boone looked up from his rifle and took off his sunglasses. "It's fine, I understand. I didn't mean to put down your project you got going on here." Arcade walked up behind Rylan and handed him a sheet of paper. "Thank you Arcade, I knew I could count on you to keep stock of the medical supplies. They will be a lot tighter now that there is 21 people here." Arcade walked off with a nod of his head and Rylan looked back at Boone. "I need you to train these men, these men may be green, but I see potential. We won't be able to do much with them at the moment because of their inexperience. I will think of something." Rylan walked off to the SINK. Boone stood up and commanded the men that weren't injured to gather around him. "Look, I know this place isn't home. But, my friend there... He's got plans for it and we need to help him. Got it?" The men all agreed. Boone took the men with him to further brief them. Arcade walked into the SINK in search of Rylan. Rylan was busy writing down inventory of everything he had. "How much we got?" Arcade asked sarcastically. "Plenty, I make everything I have, here. I am self sufficient. It will just take more work in order to keep the stocks up." Arcade looked over the list and was baffled by the numbers. "You have 271 stimpacks?!" Rylan blushed and looked proudly over to a locker containing them all. "With these numbers, we should be fine. I wish we had this kinda of supply back at the old Mormon fort in Freeside." Rylan continued to take inventory. Arcade looked down at the map of Big MT. "So, what do we need to complete first?" Rylan stood next to Arcade and looked at the map. He pointed to a large building, it resembled an aircraft hangar. "Higgs Village, it will provide housing for the NCR soldiers and Boone. It's only 5 houses but I am sure that 11 men will be fine. The houses are in a hangar after all." Arcade looked at the building and then pulled up the schematics. He studied them, he then pulled up a surveillance feed that Rylan set up. "Looks like Higgs Village is in perfect condition, structurally, but it will need to be cleaned in order for Boone and his men to live comfortably." Rylan pulled up a screen on the AI unit, it showed a facility with Securitrons in sleep mode. "I need to get these working, it will make up for the lack of men the NCR provided and it will also allow us to move around the Big MT without much problem. The other inhabitants' wont think the Securitrons as threats." Arcade nodded in agreement. "We will get to that tomorrow, right now everyone needs to settle in and rest." Arcade nodded again and went into the main chamber to talk to the scientists and Boone. Rylan made his way to his room and stripped himself out of his blood-clad clothes. He slipped on his old Doctors scrubs and laid in his bed. His plans were coming together, but he knew he needed someone else. Someone with a better understanding of technology. Someone he wasn't entirely sure of yet. "Veronica!"


	4. Chapter 4: Old World Memories

Rylan awoke early in the morning, the dim lit laboratory was fast asleep in the early hours. He made his way into the central room, placed his hands on the Central AI and let out a sigh of relief. Arcade was fast asleep on the couch in the next room, his thunderous snore echoed through the metal rooms. Rylan moved into the room right before the large laboratory, known as the Think Tank. He grabbed a Nuka Cola from the vending machine. Removing the cap he chugged the bottle like it was the last Nuka Cola he would ever see. Rylan made his way back through the the central room out onto the balcony. He overlooked the Big MT, the sun was rising over the craters edge. Rylan sat upon a bench located on the balcony. The light breeze brought back memories, bad memories.

"Rylan, come play!" A young girl screamed as she ran around the corner of a toppled building. Young Rylan chased after her, dodging rubble as he ran. The young girl ran in to the crumbled doorway of an old apartment block. Rylan froze at the entrance carefully studying the structural integrity of the building. The young girl beckoned Rylan to enter. He carefully placed his foot inside, he looked carefully at the doorway scanning once again. As he placed his other foot inside the building a loud crack shot through the city block. Rylan jumped back startled, as soon as the crack echoed back through the destroyed city streets the building collapsed. Rylan watched as his sister ran towards him as the building imploded. His sisters hand reached for his, Rylan took three steps back, his body was frozen. A large chunk of concrete smashed in front of him. Rylan dropped to his knees. As Rylan lied there in front of the building a stream of blood poured from under the concrete rubble. Powdered concrete rained upon him, covered in gray powder he watched as the blood of his sister trickled into the cracks of the sidewalk. Rylan just witnessed his sisters life taken and nearly his own. Rylan's mother came running from around the corner. "Rylan! Where is your sister!? What happened!?" Rylan was in shock, his mother shook him, bombarding him with questions. It was then that the world around him no longer existed, he couldn't hear his mothers calls, he couldn't see the blood of his sister. Life as he knew it was over.

"You're up early!" Arcade said sarcastically as he made his way onto the balcony. Rylan stared into Arcades' eyes with no emotion. "Woah there buddy, you alright?" Rylan stared down at the ground he blinked his eyes, trying to remove the visions from his mind. "Boone! Rylan is at it again!" Boone came running through the door, he looked at Rylan and knew exactly what was wrong. He grabbed Arcade and motioned him to go inside. Boone knelt near Rylan, careful not to touch him. Boone placed a doll at Rylan's feet. Rylan's eyes welted with tears, the tears ran down his face dripping onto the grate floor of the balcony. "I could have saved her." Boone looked up at Rylan's reddening face. "It was my fault." Rylan stood up with the doll in hand. "I am the reason she is gone." Boone stood up and took a step back, this was the first time Rylan ever blamed himself. As quickly as it came, it was over. Rylan looked at the doll and handed it to Boone. "Thank you." Boone took the doll and placed it on the bench. "You good?" Rylan nodded in agreement and made his way into the SINK. Boone followed and stared at Arcade in a way to let him know not to say a word. Arcade grabbed a clipboard, pretending to work. Boone made his way into the main laboratory following Rylan. Rylan made his way to a terminal and began to type. Boone stood beside him curious as to what he was doing. Rylan turned around and looked Boone in the eye. I am getting the Brotherhood of Steel in on this project. This didn't come as a surprise to Boone, he knew that the Brotherhood had a much better understanding of technology than him or Arcade. Rylan assisted the Brotherhood a few years back and they taught him a lot about power armor and energy weapons. Rylan stood up and motioned for an Eye-Bot to come his direction. Rylan folded up a piece of paper and inserted it into the Eye-Bot. "Veronica is now the head of her own branch of the Brotherhood. She made her base in Vault 21. Ever since that place was closed down by the NCR for supporting the Legion no one dared touch it. But, since the Brotherhood and the NCR are on good terms they allowed Veronica to establish her own branch." Boone nodded as he didn't know why Rylan was relaying this information. "Boone, I can see your confusion. Imagine, having a whole branch of the Brotherhood on our side." Boone pondered the idea. The more he thought about it, the more it appealed to him. Rylan walked over to a couple of the scientists and asked if they knew anything about the technology they have seen so far. They were all dumbfounded. Rylan shook his head and tried to explain the basics. The technology was well past their experience. Rylan looked at Boone and motioned for him to take a look at the screen before him.

"Do you know what this is?" Rylan pointed at a picture of a LAER Rifle.

"Yeah, it's one of those laser rifles... Right?

"Correct, but this one was invented by the scientists here in the Think Tank. It's lasers could go through anything, I mean everything." Boone was confused and opened his mouth to speak but decided it wouldn't be best, he didn't want to sound stupid. Rylan moved away from the screen and stood in the middle of the room. He carefully watched as the Enclave Scientists moved around the room. Boone stood beside him trying to seem like he fit the part. A couple of the NCR recruits stood in a circle off to the side of the room. Boone approached them and questioned their actions.

"What are you boys doing?"

"N-Nothing sir!"

Boone looked around the facility. "Well, this place is a mess. Clean 'er up."

The recruits all saluted in unison and ran off to find supplies to clean the Think Tank. Rylan walked over to Boone and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Good work Boone, I see you're taking a liking to being in command." Rylan moved away to continue watching the scientists. Arcade made his way into the Think Tank. Boone noticed Arcade and stopped him right before the doorway.

"Hey! I have something to ask you."

"No Boone, I can not replace your eyes with mechanical ones."

"No, not that again. I need to ask you if you could give me the run down on this tech around here..."

Arcade began to laugh. "That's great Boone! Wait... You're serious?" Boone nodded and shot Arcade a dirty look. "Ok, look Boone. I could give you a run down, but with Rylan partly loosing his damn mind, I have a lot of work to do. I could give you some old Holo-Tapes I have, they're pre-war tech but it should give you a good idea of the basics." Boone nodded in agreement and began to walk away.

"Boone, why?"

"I don't want Rylan to think I am just some meathead. He is bringing in Veronica and the Brotherhood. Rylan won't need me and the recruits."

"Boone, look... Rylan couldn't drop you even if he wanted to. You guys have history. You were a sniper team together, you guys spent 2 years together. Don't worry, he will always have a need for you!"

Boone nodded his head and fought the urge to smile. He walked off towards the cots set up in the center of the Think Tank. He sat on one of the cots, it seemed to groan in agony as he sat on it. Boone thought about his times with Rylan. He thought about the 2 years they spent, side by side, inseparable. He smiled, then looked around to make sure no one saw. He laid down on the cot and closed his eyes.

Arcade moved through the Think Tank, now anxious to see what the Brotherhood could offer to the Big MT. Rylan was busy with a few of the Enclave scientists and Arcade didn't dare to interrupt. Arcade waiting patiently while pretending to be occupied, carefully watching Rylan, waiting for a break in the conversation for him to jump in. After what seemed like hours, Rylan finally broke from the group of scientists and made his way to the SINK.

"Ah, good you're done with the scientists!"

"Yes, I made sure to hold the conversation even longer. I saw you waiting to speak to me."

"B-but.. Oh, it doesn't matter! So, you're bringing Veronica in on this!?"

Rylan looked at Boone who was fast asleep on the cot.

"Oh, was I not supposed to know?"

"It doesn't matter Arcade. I was hoping I could speak to you about it, preferably once I got word back from Veronica. See, I don't know if she would be willing to sacrifice her cozy spot in Vault 21 to come into this war zone. I am awaiting her message. I wasn't going to tell you until I was sure she was coming, I didn't want you to get your hopes up."

Arcade smiled and shook his head. "Ha! Me!? Excited? No, I was just glad that you were going to be bringing in some engineers. The Brotherhood was always better at tinkering with the tech."

Rylan shook his head and motioned for Arcade to follow. The two made their way into the SINK. "Grab a bite to eat or something! The Eye-Bot should be back before nightfall, don't get your hopes up though bud." Arcade wrung his lab coat in his hands in an anxiety filled fit. He nodded and moved to the fridge. He searched for a meal of his liking only to find his appetite had disappeared with all the excitement. He was finally going to collaborate with scientist and engineers from the Brotherhood. Arcade sat down on the couch and watched the time carefully, awaiting the arrival of the Eye-Bot.


	5. Chapter 5: Breaking in The Power Armor

Arcade restlessly moved around the SINK, trying not to seem to anxious. He twiddled his thumbs and grabbed a pencil from his lab coat pocket, scribbled some notes on a notepad and removed a small canister of Mentats from his pocket. He quickly popped them into his mouth and swallowed hard. He stared at the large screen that covered the wall in front of the couch, the screen flickering through pictures of the Big MT. He saw pictures of before the place was turned into a post-apocalyptic waste. It was beautiful, scientists celebrating the success of their experiments, the grand opening of the facilities scattered around the crater. He was envious of their success. He began to think of his past, working with the people from Freeside, his Enclave experiences, his time with the Followers of the Apocalypse. He wasn't sure if that made him who he was, or if who he was made him do those things. Arcade snapped back to the screen before him, he noticed a picture of the entire crater that he was in. All the facilities, all of the intricate time that was taken to build it, and he was to aid in rebuilding such a magnificent place. He walked away from the screen into the central room of the AI, he checked the status of the Eye-Bot and saw that the message has been received but the Eye-Bot was still not on its way back. Confused he asked the Central AI if he knew what was wrong.

"I'm sorry sir, but contact with the Eye-Bot ceased after it entered the vault on the Strip. It would seem that his communications aren't strong enough to operate underground."

"Can you open the intercom system for me?"

The AI did as it was told and opened the intercom system. "Dr. Montague to the SINK please." Arcades voice echoed through the building, Arcade waited a moment and repeated the message. Rylan came through the automated door laughing. "Arcade, this isn't a hospital. I understand we have a guy with a botched amputation for a left arm but that doesn't mean we are anywhere close to a hospital!" Arcade motioned for Rylan to look at the Eye-Bot log. He noticed that communication with the bot went down when it entered Vault 21.

"That's impossible, I specifically modified that little guy to be able to transmit to me underground. He was made to be able to communicate with me from nearly anywhere!"

"Maybe Veronica has some gadgets of her own that shut down communications when someone or something enters the vault."

"Veronica would know to shut that down when she saw my Eye-Bot! He is metallic purple."

Arcade scratched his head in confusion, he knew that Veronica wouldn't disable the Eye-Bot, but he wasn't entirely sure what to think of the situation. "Arcade, I need you to fire up the Verti-bird. We are going to pay a visit to the Vault. We will have to land in Camp McCarran, we will just take the monorail to the Strip and find out what happened to my Eye-Bot." Arcade left the SINK in a haste to prepare for the trip. Rylan moved around the Central AI carefully studying the log for any discrepancies. He found nothing. He thought back to his days spent with Veronica. They spent countless hours trying to teach him how to use Power Armor, thousands of rounds of various energy ammunition testing out the weapons the Brotherhood used in the bunker. Hidden Valley was changed because of Rylan, the Brotherhood was brought to strength because of him and for Veronica to disable his Eye-Bot's communications, was just unheard of. Rylan stormed off into the Think Tank in search of Arcade. When he entered Arcade was suited up in his Remnants Power armor.

"Everything is ready Dr. Montague, the Verti-bird is fueled, Boone is prepping a few recruits on what to expect, and I have taken the liberty to dust off your old Gauss Rifle for you. Just in case."

"Thank you Arcade, this is exactly why I knew I needed to have you as my right hand on this project. But, the Gauss Rifle wont be needed, I am not going to go in there with the intent of killing anyone, I just need to know what happened."

Arcade motioned for Rylan to follow him to the Verti-Bird. Boone stood in front of the building barking orders at the recruits. Rylan waved his hand at Boone to let him know it was time to go. The men entered the Verti-bird, Arcade taking the pilot seat, everyone but Rylan was suited up as if they were going to war. "You're still in your scrubs?" Boone asked as he checked over his rifle. "Yes Boone, this is going to be handled without any violence, I am sure there is a perfectly viable reason as to why my Eye-Bot has lost communication with us." Boone nodded his head and continued to check his rifle. Arcade started up the Verti-bird and the men moved to the skies. They flew over the crater and through the dome force field that protected it. The flight wouldn't be long especially in an Enclave Verti-bird. Within 2 hours after take off they were near Novac. Boone looked through the window over the small town he once called home. Dinky the dinosaur stood tall over the highway protecting the town as Boone once did. Arcade brought the Verti-bird lower to the ground as to show people that they were in charge. Boone noticed people staring at the craft in awe, curious as to who was inside. The Verti-bird flew past Helios and the I-88 trading post. Camp McCarran was in sight. Arcade brought the Verti-bird down into the pre-war airport. NCR soldiers moved toward the ship as it touched down. The doors opened and the men stepped out to a crowd of curious NCR soldiers. "Please step away from the Verti-bird!" Arcade beckoned, trying to sound authoritative. The NCR soldiers took no notice to Arcades' empty threat. Arcade shook his head and threw his arms down to his sides. Boone and Rylan laughed in unison at his fails attempt. The men walked into the airport. Various NCR soldiers saluted to the two men, both of them high up on the NCR rank chain. Arcade seemed to be irritated as no one paid any attention to him. The men walked up the escalators until they reached the doors to the monorail. "Please show some ID." One of the NCR soldiers said as the men approached. "Excuse me, I am sure you know who I am." Rylan stated as he attempted to open the door. "Yes, we know who you are, not the rest of this group with you." Rylan looked behind him the the group of odd men with him. "Don't worry about it, they are with me and if anyone has a problem they can contact me." Rylan said nonchalantly as he opened the door and stepped onto the platform of the monorail. The rest of the group followed behind, entering the monorail. The monorail shuttered forward, Rylan had a calm attitude compared to everyone else and their hostility. The mood in the monorail was tense. The ride was short as the monorail screeched to the stop on the Strip. The men exited the monorail and passed through the building. NCR modified Securitrons were stationed around the room. The men exited the building, it was late in the afternoon, the sun setting over the Mojave Wasteland. Bright neon lights flashed around the strip, gamblers walked the street, some with their heads down because of their loss in the casinos. The men walked through the street, this was nothing new to them, the awe of the Strip was behind them. They approached the Vault and Rylan turned to the men.

"Remember, no hostility!" He yelled.

"Weapons holstered men!" Boone commanded the NCR recruits.

Rylan opened the door to the building of the vault, baubles littered the building, as it used to be a gift shop. Rylan walked down the stairs to the vault door, 2 men clad in Power Armor stood guard at the Vaults entrance.

"Please show your identification." One of the Brotherhood men said.

Rylan pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to the man, the man nodded and the group entered the vault. Rylan strutted through the Vault, Brotherhood scribes were busy at work around him. Rylan approached a door labeled "Main Office", he entered. Veronica was sitting behind a desk, the customized Eye-Bot hovering on the corner near the door.

"Ah, hello Rylan! I was just about to send the Eye-Bot back your direction. I guess someone isn't very patient." She said sarcastically.

Rylan shook his head in disapproval. "No, I was very patient, I am here because the Eye-Bot wasn't communicating with my Central AI."

A puzzled look flushed over Veronica's face. "Really? That's odd, I know I didn't turn them off or anything."

Rylan approached the Eye-Bot, checking over it to see if there was any visible reason behind the break in communication. The Eye-Bot was visibly unscathed.

"Well, he must have had something wrong with him before he left."

Veronica stood from her chair, she threw a bag to Rylan.

"That's all the information I have on the Big MT, I can't come with you Rylan, I have too much going on here. I just got access to my own branch and my own vault. I'm sorry."

A wave of sadness overcame Rylan. Arcade threw his hands in the air and stormed out of the room. Veronica walked to the door motioning for Rylan and the rest of the group to leave.

"I have important matters to attend to Rylan, I can't go running off to some place I've never been to protect you and your little band of misfits."

Rylan scowled at Veronica and left the room. As they walked through the halls Rylan's anger grew, every Brotherhood member he passed, his anger grew. The men left through the Vault door. "Have a nice trip boys." Veronica said as she followed behind them. Rylan spun on his heel, Gauss Rifle in hand, he pulled the trigger and released a beam of energy at one of the Brotherhood soldiers. The round carved through his power armor, tearing a hole through his chest. The man hit the wall, blood trickled from the smoking hole in his chest. Veronica was stunned by his actions, the other soldier pointed his Plasma Rifle at Rylan. Boone and his men raised their guns.

"Rylan, I know you're angry! But shooting my men isn't going to persuade me to think any differently."

"Veronica... Remember when the Brotherhood sent you out? Left you own your own to fend in the wastes. Yeah, I bet you do. Who was there for you Veronica? I was! I took you in, I showed you what the wastes could be with a friend. I didn't come here to tear you away from your new branch dear. I came here asking for help, but I guess you couldn't repay me the favor."

Rylan left the building and made his way back to Camp McCarran. The flight back was tense but no one spoke. They returned to the Big MT. The men all split once they entered the building. Rylan  
stormed into the SINK, slamming things as he went. Just then Veronicas voice came on the Central AI.

"Look, I know I messed up. I guess I was too caught up in being back with the Brotherhood. You're right, the Big MT has a lot to offer to me and the Brotherhood. I have some ideas on how to improve that place, I will be there next week. I will be donating 20 men. They will be yours to command. 10 soldiers, 5 scribes, and 5 engineers."

Rylan tried to respond and realized it was a recording. He asked the AI to pull up the schematics on Higgs Village. The simulated neighborhood was in shambles, ruined computers littered the houses, trash scattered throughout the courtyard. There seemed to be no immediate hostile presence besides the occasional Lobotomite that passed through in search of god knows what. Arcade entered the room and saw the schematics upon the central screen. "Ah, going for Higgs are we?" Arcade said excitedly. "Yeah, unfortunately I don't know if we have the man power to have it done by next week." Arcade was confused as to the new deadline. Arcade moved around the screen moving the schematics around, looking at different views. "Hmm, this wont be a problem Dr. Montague. Believe it or not, the Enclave would be more than happy to help clean up the electronics T are scattered through the houses. They would just end up taking them back to the Think Tank to pick them apart to see what they have. If I take care of my men cleaning up the electronics and Boone commands the NCR boys to clean up the remaining trash we should have no problem getting it done in a week." Rylan smiled, his smile soon ruined by a new thought. "I have 20 men coming. How the fuck am I going to accommodate 20 more mouths to feed and where are they going to stay!? I promised Boone the village." Arcade was now completely puzzled as to what Rylan was going on about. "What are you talking about?" Rylan spun around and pulled up the map of the Big MT. He pointed out a location which seemed to be a smaller version of the Think Tank.

"There, Dr. Mobius used to conduct his research there."

Arcade looked at the building and smiled. "Veronica will have her own vault, branch of the Brotherhood, and her own science facility. She will be more than happy to help now!"

Rylan looked at the map and smiled, "She will love it." Rylan spun on his heel and moved to the Think Tank, the scientists busy at work. Boone came crashing through the door out of breath, "The NCR is here, in formation!"


End file.
